ATLANTA -- The big guys did most of the damage early for the Atlanta Hawks, but when it came down to crunch time it was point guard Jeff Teague who took over.
Teague scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half, six of them during a 10-2 fourth-quarter run, to help the Atlanta Hawks outlast the Oklahoma City Thunder 106-100 on Monday.
"This is a game we needed badly," Teague said. "That's a good team they have over there. Competitors just compete. We needed a win bad, so we just came out and played well."
Teague was 10 for 17 from the field, including the go-ahead layup with 1:08 remaining when he faked past defender Andre Roberson on his drive to the basket. Teague added five assists as Atlanta ended Oklahoma City's four-game winning streak.
"Give Teague credit for breaking our defense down and getting to where he needed to be," said Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan.
The Hawks (12-8) also got 26 points and 11 rebounds from forward Paul Millsap, who fought through an elbow to the face late in the first half, and 21 points and 10 rebounds from center Al Horford.
"The way they competed on the boards, I thought they really got after it and rebounded well," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I thought they just did a little bit of everything. They were impressive."
Oklahoma City (11-7) was led by Russell Westbrook, who scored 17 of his 34 points in the final quarter, and was 11-for-11 from the line. Westbrook had 11 rebounds and seven assists. Kevin Durant recorded 25 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Serge Ibaka scored 17 for the Thunder.
"Russell carried us offensively in that fourth quarter," Donovan said. "He got us back to tied and then up by two. We just couldn't make some shots and finish some plays that we needed to."
Atlanta led 92-84 with 5:32 left, only to have Oklahoma City score 12 straight -- 10 of them by Westbrook -- to take a 96-92 lead with 2:22 left. But the Hawks, who have had trouble finishing games, outscored the Thunder 14-4 over the rest of the game.
"We were able to gather ourselves and make enough plays down the stretch," Budenholzer said. "Defensively I thought Thabo (Sefolosha) made it as tough as possible on Durant. Collectively it's a good win for our group and hopefully we can build on this."
Sefolosha, the long-armed forward, spent 38 minutes trying to deny the ball to Durant. Guard Kent Bazemore, who turned an ankle in the first quarter, forced Westbrook to turn the ball over in the final minute, which led to Atlanta extending its lead by to four points.
"It's nice to have (Bazemore) and Thabo in that situation," Budenholzer said. "Keep Thabo on Durant and put Baze on Westbrook. It worked out."
Atlanta led by as many as 13 points in the first quarter thanks to some hot shooting (56.5 percent) from the field. Millsap and Horford scored eight apiece in the period.
The Thunder did not shoot it effectively (36.4 percent) especially in the paint, and the Hawks led 31-21 after the first quarter.
Atlanta extended its lead to 16 points at 50-34 before collapsing over the final four minutes of the half. Oklahoma City capitalized on four turnovers and six missed shots by the Hawks and outscored Atlanta 18-3 over the final 3:22.
"The last three minutes of the second quarter we got to the free-throw line, got into the paint and we were able to cut the lead to one," Donovan said.
The Hawks came out hot to start the third quarter and scored the first seven points. It didn't last long as the Thunder, led by Durant's 10 points, continued to chip away but could never get closer than two.
"We put ourselves in a bad position," Westbrook said. "Whenever we're locked in and ready to play, we have a chance to win the game. We just put ourselves in a little hole and had to fight back."
NOTES: Thunder F Kevin Durant was selected the Western Conference Player of the Week. In three games, all victories, Durant averaged 30.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 blocks. ... Atlanta F Tiago Splitter remained out with a right hip injury. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Thabo Sefolosha, who had been limited by a bad ankle. ... Inactive for Monday's game: Atlanta G Tim Hardaway Jr. and Splitter; Oklahoma City F Josh Huestis and F Mitch McGary, who are both on a Development League assignment. ... Atlanta plays again Wednesday at home against Toronto, which will mark the return of DeMarre Carroll. The forward left the Hawks for the Raptors as a free agent in the offseason. ... Oklahoma City plays the Heat in Miami on Thursday.
